A JUNCTION OF CIVILISATION & NATURE
Sumatra's major metropolis, and Indonesia's third-largest city, is seen as a necessary evil by many Sumatra-bound travellers. It's a brash urban sprawl, chocked by streams of cars and becaks, but it would also be fair to say that this is a city with real Indonesian character. So get over the culture shock, give Medan a bit of time and discover an amenityfilled, modern city with more than a hint of crumbling Dutch-colonial-era charm and a couple of worthwhile museums.
Culture, Nature, Coffee, and More
The surrounding natural environment of Surabaya is home to a myriad of wildlife and biological marvel. If you're looking to plunge right into a nature-filled adventure with orangutans, you'll want to visit Bukit Lawang. The orangutan rehabilitation centre in this area was built in 1973 to help orangutans released from captivity to learn survival skills in the wild; and tourists may — keeping existing regulations in mind — interact with these dwellers of the jungle in close proximity. In addition, the nearby Gunung Leuser National Park is a great place for wildlife trekking and nature.
Housed in a charming traditional building, the Museum of North Sumatra has a well-presented collection ranging from early North Sumatran civilisations to Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic periods to Dutch colonial-era and military history. There are also sections depicting traditional occupations such as fishing and farming. Highlights include fine stone carvings and extravagantly carved wooden dragon coffins from Nias, Batak scrolls for fending off misfortune, fine textiles and a collection of traditional daggers.
The most iconic tourist destination in Sumatra is Lake Toba, known as the largest lake in Southeast Asia at a massive 1,707 square kilometer. This grand ocean-blue lake, found high up among Sumatra's volcanic peaks, is where the amiable Christian Batak people reside. The secret of this almost mythical place was opened up to travellers by the intrepid, and Tuk Tuk — the village on the lake's inner island — is still one of the undisputed highlights of Sumatra.
In the middle of this huge expanse is Samosir Island, a wedge-shaped island almost as big as Singapore that exists courtesy of an eruption between 30,000 and 75,000 years ago. Hardly an island by definition, Samosir is linked to the mainland by a narrow strip of land at the town of Pangururan — and then cut again by a canal.
Directly facing Parapat is another peninsula occupied by the village of Tuk Tuk, the popular centre of tourist activities and facilities. You'll find the main village of Tomok a few kilometres south of Tuk Tuk on the east coast of the island.